Of 107 clinical trials 77% showed homeopathy to be more effective
than the placebo used.(1) The higher-quality studies yielded more positive
results than the lower-quality studies.(2) Three studies conducted
at Glasgow University in Scotland also produced positive results.(3-4)

One hundred consecutive outpatients at Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital
were surveyed 1 year after treatment. Of the 80% which responded, 60%
had improved in the area for which they sought treatment, and 61% felt
an overall improvement in well-being. This is very impressive when
you consider that 81% of those involved in the study had been unresponsive
to conventional treatment!

Homeopathy is the only unorthodox treatment in the U.K. to have an
official place within the NHS.
Is it safe?

One of the main reasons for using homeopathy is its safety, even during
pregnancy and for infants and the elderly. Although symptoms may increase
at first, this is part of the homeopathic process, which goes to the
source of the problem and eliminates it from there. Symptoms which
have been suppressed may resurface during treatment.

Homeopathy is a safe therapy and can never harm the patient. Only
using homeopathy in place of another appropriate and necessary method
of treatment poses a threat. But here it is not the homeopathic treatment
which causes harm, but the failure to use more appropriate measures.
What are its uses?

There are homeopathic treatments for just about every disorder imaginable.
It might be more useful to ask:
When is Homeopathy useful?

When conventional treatments have failed or do not exist
When conventional therapies have done all they can and results are still unsatisfactory
When side-effects make conventional treatment intolerable
Whenever a person prefers a safe and effective method of treatment which eliminates
a disorder at its source rather than removing or suppressing the symptom with
potentially dangerous drugs or surgery and leaving the cause untreated.

Is it cost effective?

Yes! Homeopathic remedies are very inexpensive, and its lack of side
effects and iatrogenic (doctor-caused) illnesses makes it even more
affordable.
Homeopathy & Orthodox Medicine

In Scotland, 20% of the General Practitioners have completed the basic
level of training in homeopathy and two years later 78% are still using
it in their practice. This is an asset to patients who want their health
care to be provided in one place. Personally, if I were to consult
a conventional doctor, I would prefer one who was open-minded and knowledgeable
about alternative therapies.
How popular is Homeopathy?

In the U.K. it is extremely popular, even among the royal family.
Homeopathy is a part of their socialized medical system, and private
insurance pays for treatment by homeopathic medical specialists. Its
popularity in Europe is increasing rapidly.

In the U.S. it is growing in popularity, along with an increase in
other alternative therapies. Its greater popularity in the U.K. reflects
their medical system which benefits from reduced costs and increased
patient health.

In the U.S. our medical system is heavily influenced by drug manufacturers,
whose profits support lobbyists, who protect the drug companies' interests.
The major drug companies here pay for most of the research which is
conducted. They also control which information is released to medical
practitioners and to the public. In short, our system is biased toward
those who benefit from illness and drug sales.
Other points of interest:

Homeopaths introduced the concept of placebo controlled clinical trials
in 1911. It is an aspect of their concept of "proving" remedies,
which means that a substance which will cure a symptom will at larger
quantities produce the symptom.

How homeopathy works remains a mystery to the scientific world.(5)
A substance is vibrated and diluted until no discernible part of it
remains. Yet its effectiveness has been demonstrated repeatedly in
scientifically valid studies.
Is homeopathy for you?

It is safe, it is effective, it costs less than conventional therapy,
it treats the root of the problem, and it is available locally. If
this is what you want, then homeopathy is for you.
References:

Some of the material in this article is based on lecture material
from "Alternative Medicine: Implications for Clinical Practice" given
at the Harvard CME Seminar, March 28-31, 1995.
Copyright 1999 Randi Kuhne

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